


one of those nights

by stupidbadgers



Series: promptober 2019 'verse [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i just like to write these two taking care of each other and being soft, not a sad ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24140044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidbadgers/pseuds/stupidbadgers
Summary: Iruka always managed to pull Kakashi back from the edge that his mind sent him to.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: promptober 2019 'verse [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743376
Comments: 10
Kudos: 88





	one of those nights

**Author's Note:**

> back at it, offering a slice of the angstcake.

The movements next to Iruka woke him. He hadn’t been in a deep sleep, too focused on listening for Kakashi. When Iruka had gone to bed, his husband had still been up, sitting on the couch sideways, staring out the window. He hadn’t even replied when Iruka said he should go to bed.

It had been a rough few days for Kakashi. He had arrived back from his mission mostly intact physically, albeit chakra exhausted, but his mental wellbeing was leaving Iruka worried. It wasn’t uncommon for Kakashi to have his bad days, but the longer it went, the more concerned Iruka was becoming. Kakashi had seemingly checked out from the world for the last four days.

Beside Iruka, Kakashi thrashed in his sleep, his hands curled into fists. Iruka saw he was soaked in sweat and his breathing was labored. This was the third night in a row that he had had a nightmare. Iruka had learned early on in their relationship how to wake Kakashi from a nightmare though.

“Kakashi,” he whispered, while his hand reached for Kakashi’s. He kept his palm open as it grazed the top of Kakashi’s hand.

The usual methods of gently waking his husband were in vain though, as Iruka found himself pressed into the mattress, Kakashi’s weight on top of him and his pale hand wrapped tightly around Iruka’s throat. He did his best to keep his breathing even, as much as one could when they were being choked, and stay calm. Kakashi’s eyes—one nearly black in the dark of their bedroom, the other a bright swirling red—were wild, boring into Iruka’s own. He stared into his husband’s face.

“Kakashi, you’re home. There’s no threat,” he struggled to breathe in. “It’s just Iruka.”

Something flickered in Kakashi’s eyes. He was off Iruka and out their bedroom door before Iruka could stop him. The door shut with a soft click. He wanted to go after him, but knew better. He had to let Kakashi handle his emotions before he approached him. It was like slow torture for Iruka, not being able to help his love.

Iruka laid in bed for awhile longer, thoughts swirling. He grew restless and got up. After making himself a cup of tea, he sat down to work on lesson plans, waiting for Kakashi to return home.

It was likely his husband had gone to the Memorial Stone. That was his usual place when he had to think or sort through something, but it was also where he felt closest to his precious people that had passed. Whenever he woke badly from a nightmare and then ran, he went to the stone. The first couple of times that had happened, Iruka had followed him, but had quickly figured out it was best to give Kakashi some space following the nightmares. However, there had been several times when Iruka had to retrieve Kakashi from in front of the stone before anyone else found him. As he looked out at the light of dawn, Iruka debated whether this would be one of those times.

“Boss,” a gruff voice said, startling Iruka.

Hiding his flinch, Iruka turned to the pug, “his usual spot?”

Pakkun nodded before disappearing. It was apparently one of those times.

Iruka grabbed his coat and one of their throw blankets before disappearing out the door. The path was familiar to him, having travelled it for more than just finding Kakashi. He made a point of visiting the stone weekly to talk to his parents, tell them about the happenings of the village and his life. He would also speak to Sandaime, carrying on the conversation as if it was just one of their meetings of tea and shogi. It had been several years since his death, but the feeling of loss was still painfully clear for Iruka.

He reached the stone as the sun broke over the horizon. Kakashi was a shadow against the bright light, almost a statue himself, standing still, head hanging as he gazed at the stone. Iruka made sure his presence was known, footsteps loud enough to be heard as he approached Kakashi. The man was still only in his sleeveless ANBU undershirt and loose sleep pants.

“Kakashi,” Iruka said quietly, “you’re going to catch cold. Let’s get you home.”

The jounin didn’t make any indication he had heard Iruka, so he stepped directly into Kakashi’s line of sight.

“It’s time to go home, my love.”

Kakashi’s eyes widened, the Sharingan spinning slowly. Iruka placed a gentle hand over the eye, cutting off any memory it was replaying, torturing Kakashi with. Kakashi leaned into Iruka’s hand slightly. He removed his hand when he felt Kakashi’s eyelid close, keeping the Sharingan at bay. Iruka threw the blanket around Kakashi’s cold, bare shoulders, wrapping it tightly around him. He put his arm around Kakashi and started to lead them home, holding his husband close.

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi whispered.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Iruka said, his tone brooking no argument.

They walked the rest of the way home in silence. Once inside the safety and comfort of their door, Iruka withdrew from Kakashi, taking his hand instead, leading them toward their bathroom. He drew a hot bath before gently removing Kakashi’s clothes, doing so slowly to not startle him. He pushed Kakashi to the hot water, helping him sink into the warmth before stripping his own clothes and slipping in behind Kakashi. Cupping water in his hands, Iruka poured it down Kakashi’s shoulders and back, trying to warm them. After a few moments of that, Kakashi leaned back against Iruka’s chest, settling his head against Iruka’s shoulder, turning his face into his husband’s neck and inhaling. Iruka pushed his fingers through Kakashi’s hair, nails gently scraping along his scalp, comforting Kakashi more.

“Thank you,” Kakashi whispered, knowing that although the two words were small and borderline meaningless with no reasoning to them, Iruka would understand their depth. Iruka always managed to pull him back from the edge that his mind sent him to.

“Always, my love. I will always be here for you,” Iruka replied, holding Kakashi tightly to him.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! 
> 
> you can find me on [https://stupidbadgers.tumblr.com/](URL) rambling and falling down all kinds of rabbit holes.


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